Before signing anything, read the agreement. Then walk around the car slowly, recording its video. Video the car’s VIN, the odometer, and the fuel gauge. Ask for a demo of all the controls. Report any damage, even minor scratches, with the rental rep signing a damage sheet. If you don’t, you could wind up paying tens of thousands of dollars for the mistake of some other renter.
The Fine Print
If your card comes with auto rental coverage, be aware of the fine print and the limitations on the coverage. Don’t assume you’re covered, even if you have a particular credit card. Note that some of these will go so far as to exclude specific brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Porsche, Bentley, and Rolls Royce by name.
In New York, state law caps a renter’s liability for damages to the actual reasonable repair cost. New York law explicitly provides that a rental customer is not liable for ordinary wear and tear. But you’ll need a photo to prove the ding was there beforehand.
Make sure every person driving the vehicle is named explicitly in full on the agreement. Insist that the rental agent add any other driver’s names to the agreement before you pay or take the keys. Mileage limits vary, but commonly include a fixed number of free miles each day and then a per-mile charge for going over that amount. Before you sign, check what the mileage limit is for the day and what the overage per mile will cost you. Ask about fuel, too: a lot of luxury cars have engines that are designed for premium gasoline with a minimum octane of 91 or more. Using lower-octane fuel in these engines can damage them. Also check which states and roads are approved. Banned uses could include track days, racing, off-road, towing, ride-share, and even commercial photo shoots. Pay special attention to the fine print, which commonly voids insurance for uses that could include racing of any kind, going off-road, and ride sharing.
With the Cell Phone Camera Rolling
Walk a slow circle around the car, with the cell phone camera rolling. Stoop, so that your eyes can follow down to the bottom of the fenders and doors. Walk slowly enough to spot every chip in the paint, and be sure to video all four sides of the car. At knee level, look at the front, the back, and side skirts (if any). While you’re down there, check the wheels and tires closely, as wheels can often sustain small chips and nicks and the tires can develop cuts. New York requires tread depth of at least 2/32 of an inch at inspection.
Flat-bottomed splitters hanging from the front of luxury and sports cars are common. Worse, being placed low on the vehicle, they can be scraped on even modest inclines. While you’re down there, go slow and video the rocker panels carefully. The rocker panels are notorious for being damaged while attempting to park in a tight space. At the rear of the car, examine the rear diffuser closely for damage and scrapes.
Make sure the glass is free of any divots, rock chips, or cracks. Damage to side-view mirrors or the rear-view mirror can be costly to fix. If the car has a convertible top, be sure to raise and lower the top. Video the top being raised and lowered, even if the weather seems mild and you have no plans to drop it. Look carefully for tears, leaks, and other damage.
Factory options that require fine materials, like quilted leather, suede, or even Alcantara, will be expensive to fix if they get dirty or damaged. No matter what kind of seat the vehicle is equipped with, check for rips, burns, stains, and other damage. Scratches in carbon-fiber trim can be costly to fix. Lots of luxury cars use digital displays or screens to show the fuel level, the mileage, the radio stations, the phone menu, and so on. Make sure all of them work properly. It’s just as important to ensure that any warning light inside the vehicle - like the airbag warning light - has not illuminated and stays off. If a light stays on, insist on a written explanation.
After filming your circle, focus on any areas of concern close up. For each close-up of damage, you’ll need at least one context shot to show the location of that damage. Have the rental agent point out and discuss any damage with you, and sign the sheet before you leave. Photograph the final damage sheet with your signature and the counterperson’s signature, showing the current time and date. If they refuse to sign the damage sheet, email your photos and video to them right away and ask them to confirm they received it. Download all the photos and videos to a laptop or other safe place and email a copy to yourself.
Luxury cars sometimes have unique controls. Ask the rep to demonstrate as many functions as possible so that you know how to use them. You don’t want to damage anything out of ignorance. Many high-end cars will have complex handling and drive mode settings. Ask the attendant to demonstrate the controls that adjust drive mode, throttle feel, suspension firmness, etc. If the vehicle is equipped with a nose lift feature, find out how to lift the front of the vehicle so you can get over speed bumps or steeply angled driveways without scraping the undercarriage. If the car has parking sensors, check to see that they’re working. Many of these vehicles require specific actions to get the hatch, trunk, or fuel door to open.
Federal law says car rental companies with 35 or more cars can’t rent out a vehicle with an unrepaired safety recall. Search online with a VIN to find out if there are open safety recalls on your vehicle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) recall lookup tool is a good place to start. NHTSA’s recall search can miss recalls from small makers, including some ultra-luxury brands, and very recent recalls.
In an Emergency
A big, and frequently overlooked, thing to save in your phone is roadside assistance and insurance numbers and policy numbers. Ask which towing companies, body shops, and repair facilities the insurance company is going to send you to if you need to get a repair done. It’s important to know what company to call in an emergency, as the insurance company might not pay the bill if you call somebody else.
If you leave and then discover damage before you return the vehicle, stop immediately, video, photograph and call the rental company. If you wait to report the damage until you return the vehicle, you may find yourself on the hook for repairs. If you have videos or photos showing that the car was damaged before you took it, they can help you defend a claim. In New York state, if you want the right to inspect the damage that the rental car company is charging you for, you have to notify them of your request within 72 hours or you give up that right. Also, while you and the rental car company are in a dispute, they can’t charge your card for the damage.
A few minutes of video, a written damage sheet, and a signed agreement before you leave will be worth their weight in gold.
